


Two Days in Kamiagata

by jenskaya20



Category: Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Lord Shimura - Freeform, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29151576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenskaya20/pseuds/jenskaya20
Summary: Distant past, long before the events of Ghost of Tsushima, a young samurai goes on a journey to Kamiagata to write poems, reconnect with nature, and learn how to move on from a terrible bereavement.
Relationships: Brother and Sister, FOX - Relationship, Horse and Rider - Relationship, Human and Nature
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Two Days in Kamiagata

_Spring_

The wind whistled through the pine trees of the Endless Forest. The dense foliage blocked out most of the light at dawn so that only the sky glowed with a familiar gray-blue. It was chilly, but not unusual for this region. A young rider on a white horse slowly trotted along the main road.

His eyes were cold, staring into the beyond. The birds chirped and became still as he passed, as if he brought a chill over his surroundings. He only had his katana, tanto, saddle bag and smart traveler’s attire, though he did not wear a hat. He wouldn’t need shade where he was going.

After an hour of silence, the rider reached Kin Sanctuary. It was bustling in the morning light, vendors selling all their wares along the main road towards the sacred tree. Many travelers would come here to pay their respects and meditate in its shade. Already it was growing thick with lush green leaves. As the rider passed along, the peasants bowed respectfully, but did not recognize him. It must be a samurai from the south.

The rider left his horse at a stable and avoided interaction with most people as he approached the tree. A priestess of the tree’s kami stood there, bidding pilgrims to come forward and offer incense.

“My lord, welcome to our sacred tree,” she bowed deeply as he came forward. He bowed in silence to her and went into its hollow, finding a spot where he could kneel and meditate. He was not interested in incense or offerings, but to find a place of comfort, of peace. Tourists came and went when the priestess noticed he had not moved from his place for nearly half an hour.

“Does something trouble you, my lord?” she asked gently. The man opened his eyes and looked at her.

“Yes. I came here to mediate.”

“Has it helped?”

“I do not feel the kami’s presence.”

“Then you must make an offering, my lord. They will know that you come in peace and will offer you the wisdom you are looking for.”

“… Very well,” he sighed and got up. He lit a bit of incense and paid his proper respects, but was no longer interested in staying by this tree. His mind wandered to other things.

“Take care, my lord,” the priestess frowned, feeling something heavy emanating from this humble samurai. There was pain in every fiber of his being. He bowed respectfully and carried on.

Once he had crossed the river, the rider sighed in relief. It was very beautiful out here, the ground covered in new greenery and the sun shining stronger every moment. He rode to the top of a high hill for a vantage point over the prefecture.

“Where do you want to go, Nikko?” the rider suddenly spoke to his white horse and patted its neck. “This whole wilderness is ours. We don’t have to meet a single person if we don’t want to.”

Nikko stomped his front hooves a few times and shook his mane. The rider smiled sadly.

“I’m sorry I’m this way, Nikko. But Father said it would do me good. Let’s go.”

The rider went back down the hill and continued west into Sago, no longer following any road. He would wander the wilderness until he found exactly what he was looking for.

The sky was filled with puffy white clouds that whisked along at a rapid pace. The wind still had a taste of winter to it, but the sun was so warm that the rider wasn’t cold at all. This was the land of clan Kikuchi, an aloof set of samurai that rarely interacted with the rest of the island. Perhaps he would come across one, but they would likely not make small-talk with an insignificant wanderer.

“I must write,” he sighed to himself. The horse and rider reached a cliff-side looking down into a creek. It was so quiet here that he could even hear the bees buzzing nearby. Little blue flowers dotted the green grass.

Poetry was everything to this samurai. He wrote poems since he was a child, first about simple topics, rising to more complex occasions as he got older. Now his poetry was lauded by all of his clan, so skilled he was in the art of reflection. The “Warrior Poet” some called him.

The rider got off his horse and knelt on the rocks. Taking out a piece of parchment, a pen and an inkwell, he quieted his mind and looked at his surroundings.

A reflection on Isolation

_Wind bending water_   
_Whispers heard in the tall grass_   
_Cold silence remains_

The rider got up and proceeded onward. The shrubbery and trees in the valley wore tiny green leaves, so the sun shined down harder than ever on the traveler’s brow. Nikko, the ever-obedient companion, followed his master’s will as they examined every nook and cranny in the forest. It would have looked like aimless meandering, but the rider was seeking to do just that, to find the right moment for inspiration.

After several hours, the rider took a break near a stream to let his horse drink. He ate some dried fish and rice from his bag, but did not start a fire. It was mid-day, and already he sought somewhere new to go. He would follow the stream til it reached the ocean on the west side of the island.

Avoiding the main roads, the rider found one of his favorite places in all of the region, Kamiagata Falls. Its constant rushing into the sea was soothing to his ears after the long stretch of silence for most of the day. Here he knelt on the cliff and wrote his second poem.

A Reflection on Grief

_Never-ending flow_   
_Emotions buried within_   
_No where left to go_

The man sat where he was for a long time, lost in thought. Eventually his horse became restless and tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

“Nikko,” he stroked its snout. “It’s alright. I just missed this place a lot…”

They watched the sunset together from this outlook, the seagulls calling in the distance. A yellow-orange haze spread across the horizon. It was truly refreshing to be here.

No sounds of screaming.

At dusk, he went inland to set up a shelter with some sticks and strike a fire. He cooked himself a proper meal from what he brought with him, and caught himself a fish with a small net in the river. Perhaps there could be hunting in these parts, but he hadn’t been in the mood for it. He couldn’t even remember the last time he slept under the stars. Must have been over a year.

For all the traveling by day, the rider found himself restless that night, unable to sleep. He watched the flames cool down to a red-orange glow, the pale moon lighting up the pine trees around him. Lost in thought once again, he lost track of time when he heard a stirring across from his fire.

A few paces away was a small pair of yellow glowing eyes. It gazed at him with curiosity. The man smiled.

“Hello, little one. Are you hungry?”

The eyes maintained their distance, but the creature sniffed the ground, as if pretending it didn’t notice him. The rider tossed him the remains of a fish, which he quickly approached and began snacking on, its little jaw crunching softly on the bones. It looked up now and then to check on the stranger, but he remained where he was, smiling sadly.

“There aren’t too many of you up here the way they are down south,” he said softly to the furry friend. It perked its ears up in response, but went back to eating until the whole fish skeleton was gone.

“That’s all I have, I’m sorry,” the traveler admitted when it got closer to the fire. It was very bold for a fox, and not afraid of him at all. Perhaps it had met many travelers like him before. Seeing that no food was coming his way, the fox disappeared into the darkness, its glowing eyes no longer seen. Whatever time it was, the rider finally felt tired and went to sleep.

The man awoke from the brightening dawn. He was quite cold so he got up and did some stretches to get his circulation flowing. The horse woke up on its own and ate some grass while the man quickly ate a pear from his saddle bag.

“How about we do some walking side by side, Nikko?” the rider smiled and took his reins. They went east through the Sago Forest at a leisurely pace, which energized him greatly. Perhaps he could go foraging for some mushrooms and berries while he was out here, to have something to do. Just as he found a cluster of mushrooms at the bottom of a stump, he heard a whimpering sound.

“You again?” he looked up to see a fox sitting behind him. “Were you the one who visited me last night?”

The fox sat up and wagged its tail. It hopped off to the side and stood still again to see if the stranger was still watching him. It looked longingly into his eyes.

“Do you want to tell me something, sacred messenger?” the rider became serious at the thought. He took a few steps forward, and the fox immediately took off in another direction.

“Wait!” the rider quickly got on his horse and followed the fox at a trot. It stopped every few meters to make sure the rider was still following. The fox was leading him to a watch tower on a rocky hill.

“You want me to go up there? Stay here, Nikko!” he got off his horse and followed the path the fox was taking up the cliff-side. He had no climbing gear or rope but it was all manageable by hand. Finally he reached the top, and the fox was waiting for him. The watch tower was abandoned, and so he stood at its foot looking out.

“What a view,” he gasped softly. It was a direct vantage point of Mount Jogaku to the northeast, and the Endless Forest to the southwest. He could even see the Kin Lighthouse all the way on the east side of the island.

“Thank you, messenger,” he bowed to the fox, but it did not leave. It sat on its hind legs, hoping for a meal.

“I have nothing to give you, I’m sorry. I have to save what I have for the rest of my journey. But wait…” he got an idea. He took out his pen, paper and ink from his side pouch. “I will recite something to you, if you’ll allow me.”

The fox did not move, but silently watched as the man sat down and composed his third poem:

A Reflection on Hope

_Endless horizons_   
_Beckoned by the sun’s embrace_   
_I answer the call_

“How did you like that?” the man smiled. The fox panted happily and looked out at the distance with him. It whimpered once again and bowed its head to the ground.

The rider frowned and crouched towards him. It was remarkably friendly, almost like a pet…

He put his right hand out to let it sniff him. It rubbed its snout on the back of his hand.

He was accepted.

Instantly tears flooded his eyes and the traveler began to weep bitterly. The fox was taken back by this but stayed a few paces away.

“ _Miyako… Takeshi_ ,” he sobbed. The screams of their last days came into his ears again and he wept all the harder. He finally realized why he cried so hard now.

Only a quiet friend was here to hear him.

“ _Inari… give me strength to move forward_ ,” he prayed silently. He bowed prostrate for a long time…

By the time he looked up, the fox was no longer there. The sky was filling with clouds, likely to become overcast by the end of the day. But he stayed at this place and read over his poems. Isolation, Grief, Hope.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take… but one day I will become my truest self. One day, I’ll find it… a sign…”

The rider climbed down from the high point and whistled for his horse. The white steed galloped toward him happily, seeing that his master was now in better spirits. He returned south before nightfall.

_Six months later_

“Brother! I’m so glad you came!” Lady Sakai gasped when a rider with a white horse approached the Sakai estate. He came with gifts for his sister, who was now a new mother.

“I’m grateful for this chance to finally meet you and your little one. How is he?”

“He is healthy and energetic for being just 2 months old! Come and see him!”

The brother went inside to see the baby currently under the care of the nurse who held him. Lady Sakai took him into her arms and presented him to her brother.

“This… is Jin Sakai,” she smiled proudly.

“Jin? An unusual name. Was this Kazumasa’s idea?”

“It was mine. There was a good omen the evening of his birth. I saw a fox chasing fireflies behind our estate. A truly remarkable sight! Remember what mother used to teach us about the messengers of Inari? I believe it’s sign of great things in his future.”

The man opened his mouth in surprise but did not speak for several moments. He looked at the infant, a thoughtful gaze…

“ _Jin_ … I will get used to it,” he gently rubbed the tiny child’s head. The baby squirmed and then yawned.

“You’re an uncle now. Imagine that!”

“Yes… and I will be content with that.”

Lady Sakai frowned with a sigh and put a gentle hand to her brother’s face. “Your consolation will come, dear brother. One day you will replace what was lost.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. In either case, I choose to be happy in this moment. Jin will be my consolation for now.”

Lady Sakai bowed in acceptance of his words. The man then exchanged gifts with her, household heirlooms from their clan passed down on their late mother’s side. Kazumasa wasn’t in the village at all, but after staying 2 hour’s time, the man needed to leave.

“Give him my congratulations. I know I’ve said that to him half a dozen times already, but the child is blessed, and you will be a happy family. We will be happy.”

“May it be as as you say. Farewell, brother!” Lady Sakai bowed. It was an unusual encounter with her brother who had been nothing but depressed for months. A light was in his eyes this time. Perhaps he was healing after all.

And it’s the most she could pray for.

_See what’s looking back_   
_Reach towards the golden light_   
_Wash the grief away_

**Author's Note:**

> In "Conversations with the Khan" it is revealed that Lord Shimura had a wife and children (perhaps one unborn) before Jin was born, but they died from tragic, undisclosed circumstances. Without speculating, I leave their fate to the imagination, and rather focus on young Shimura's sense of emptiness after the events. He is quite young, younger than our Jin Sakai of the main game.


End file.
